Chapter Six: I See Beauty In Everything, But the World is Still Fading Away

Morticia suddenly bolted upright in her bed with a gasp for air, which was a partial scream, her arms outstretched as if she had been trying to swim.

"Tish!" Gomez shouted immediately at her side holding her as she grabbed onto him and cried genuine, rare tears.

"Oh, Gomez..." she whimpered holding him tighter as she burrowed her face into his jacket. "Gomez..."

"Shhh, shhh," Gomez shushed her as he rubbed her back just as Fester came into the room with Wednesday and Pugsley.

"Mother!" Wednesday shouted, jumping onto the bed and crawling over to her mother, hugging her.

Morticia pulled away from Gomez to wrap an arm around her child, her tears becoming soundless as they began to slow.

"How is she?" Fester asked Gomez as Pugsley crawled over to sit by Wednesday.

"She just woke up," Gomez answered, continuing to look at her with concerned and grateful eyes.

"How...how long was I out?" Morticia asked slowly, beginning to regain her composure as she held her two children.

"Two days," Fester answered. "Gomez didn't leave your side once."

Morticia looked at her husband with adoring eyes when Wednesday suddenly spoke, "I saw her, Mother."

"Saw who?" Morticia asked slowly.

"Your twin ghost," She answered. "I saw her hit you and disappear. I tried to wake you up but you stayed asleep. You're okay now...right?"

"Yes, darling," Morticia answered after a minute, playing with one of her braids. "I believe the worst is over now."

"So she's gone?"

Morticia nodded, praying it was true.

"Why don't we let Father talk to Mother for a while, okay?" Fester told Wednesday and Pugsley upon noticing the numerous questions flying across Gomez's eyes.

Wednesday hugged her again before sliding off the bed with Pugsley and allowing Fester to lead her out the door.

"Oh, Morticia," Gomez whispered, stricken as he took her hands in his. "I thought I lost you."

"And I you," Morticia whispered back, looking up into his troubled eyes. "It was horrible Gomez, I dreamt I was in a personal hell and I was reliving some of the most traumatic pages of my life. I was so alone...and it was so real..."

"You'll never be alone, Cara," Gomez reassured her. "I will always be with you."

"You weren't with me there," Morticia murmured almost inaudibly, looking away. Before he could respond she looked back to him and said, "I'll never take anything for granted ever again. Nothing. I'd even take the sun over what I just went through! After that I see beauty in everything."

Gomez let out a soft chuckle before stating, "Instead of the sun why don't you take what's outside right now?"

"Hmm?" As Morticia turned to look out the window she saw that the sky was covered in dark storm clouds and as if on cue, a flash of lightning lit up the sky and sounded, instantly bringing a heavy down pour.

"I've always said I have impeccable timing," Gomez smirked as he watched her eyes light up at the sight of the lightning before she turned back to him with a smile.

"That you do," Morticia smiled as she slowly pulled his face down to her by his watch chain. Her shadowed eyes glinted mischievously as she purred, her breath tickling his lips, "You know what else you're impeccable at?"

"There you are Cleopatra," Morticia cooed to her African Strangler as she fed her some fresh hamburger. "I hope you didn't miss me too much."

The plant clicked at her before wrapping around her shoulders and placing a kiss to her cheek. "I missed you too, darling," Morticia smiled as she patted the plant before lifting her off her neck and continued her feeding.

"Do you really think that I would ever let you go?" A sharp voice growled into her ear. The voice she's come to know too well.

"Get away from me," Morticia growled as she set down Cleopatra's bowl and closed her eyes.

"I can't leave you because I AM you," her doppelganger's voice sneered.

"You lie!" Morticia hissed.

"Do I?" The voice challenged darkly causing Morticia to instantly feel a sharp pain in her gut and a lack of air.

Morticia braced herself against the table on which Cleopatra sat and fought to regain control of her body.

"Don't try to fight it! I have complete control over you and there's no way you can escape it. I could easily kill you and that would be the end of it; you die, I live on to find another host. Perhaps a certain little girl with long braids..."

"You touch her and I swear..." Morticia growled through clenched teeth.

"You swear what? You can't hurt me without hurting yourself. Maybe if you do as you're told I'll go easy on you. Do we have a deal?"

"What do you want?" Morticia groaned, her voice becoming tight from trouble breathing.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she snickered.

"I would be making a deal with the devil. A liar!" Morticia hissed in return.

Her right wrist suddenly became slashed open, vertically this time, causing Morticia to hold back a scream of agony as she clutched her wrist, this new scar crossing the old one and forming an upside-down cross. "You watch your tongue when speaking to me!" The entity snarled before toning back down to it's dark teasing. "Now...do we have a deal or not?"

Morticia barred her teeth and she tried one final time to try and dislodge herself from her demon twin and as suspected, failed. With a nod she gave in, "It's a deal."

"Good," the voice sneered. "Now let's seal it in blood!"

Morticia let out a sharp cry as what felt like two needles drove into her other wrist, leaving two puncture marks like from a bite of a fanged animal.

"Now, I would go wrap yourself up," The voice teased. "You don't want your darling Gomez to think you self-harm. Ha! I'll check in with you soon..."

Morticia squeezed her eyes shut as she held back her tears before turning and heading toward her bedroom to clean up. "I thought it was over..."